UTHSCSA vs Tulane

[animeita]

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Hm...I posted my question first in the "allopathic"...perhaps this is a better place to post it:

Anyone familiar with the programs at either UT San Antonio or Tulane? I'm trying to decide between the two. I'm really like the MD/MPH program at Tulane, but I didn't like the city or the facilities much when I interviewed. Is Tulane worth the extra cost and the shady neighborhood?

 

[sfgboy]

animeita, did you get into md/phd or regular md at Tulane?

just wanted to know if we're comparing apples to oranges here...

 

[pillion]

Read the UTHSCSA thread and see if you gel with the students. Personally, I think UTHSCSA is a good school with good facilities at a low cost in a great city. But that's just me.

 

[Bluemirage]

The Medical School here in San Antonio is fairly good especially when you consider the low in-state tuition (even out of state is less than many schools) and low cost of living. However, alot of the local docs think that the program is not able to help students match into competitive residencies. If you are definitely doing the MD/PhD program then this is probably not so much of a problem for you. Tulane is in a less desirable city but you will get a superior education...you should make your decision based on which place you will be happier in.

 

[animeita]

Thanks for the responses! I'm actually not considering an MD/PhD, but rather an MD/MPH. I have already been accepted into the dual degree program at Tulane and I figure it would be nice to save myself an extra year just get the MPH concurrently with my MD. However, I'm also interested in going into Preventive Medicine, and most programs I've looked into make you get an MPH anyway and you get a stipend during the residency.

Then again, since I haven't even started med school yet, my interests are bound to change. In light of that, are there ways that would help me get into more competitive residencies despite graduating from UTHSCSA, hypothetically speaking?

 

[sfgboy]

A couple points for you to consider. San Antonio offers an MPH degree through UT-Houston. The School of Public Health is academically one of the more respected and actually THE MOST prolific public health school in the country. It takes a year, and you can take all the coursework at San Antonio even though the degree will be awarded by UT-H.

Secondly, when looking at med schools outside of the top 20, each school has its relative strengths and weaknesses with regard to certain specialties. For example, San Antonio is renowned for its renal/urological and orthopedics faculty, which in turn translates into better placement for medical graduates who want to match into those specialties. Tulane is generally stronger in internal medicine than UTHSCSA.

Finally, this is all meaningless if you don't work hard in med school. If you're interested in a competitive specialty or program, you will need to be ranked well in your class, have high board scores, and put in the extra mile during rotations. And this goes without saying no matter where you go to school, possibly with the exception of the top 5 schools.

With all this said, where do you think you will enjoy yourself and therefore feel motivated enough to actually put in your 100%?

 

[exmike]

A couple points for you to consider. San Antonio offers an MPH degree through UT-Houston. The School of Public Health is academically one of the more respected and actually THE MOST prolific public health school in the country. It takes a year, and you can take all the coursework at San Antonio even though the degree will be awarded by UT-H.

Secondly, when looking at med schools outside of the top 20, each school has its relative strengths and weaknesses with regard to certain specialties. For example, San Antonio is renowned for its renal/urological and orthopedics faculty, which in turn translates into better placement for medical graduates who want to match into those specialties. Tulane is generally stronger in internal medicine than UTHSCSA.

Finally, this is all meaningless if you don't work hard in med school. If you're interested in a competitive specialty or program, you will need to be ranked well in your class, have high board scores, and put in the extra mile during rotations. And this goes without saying no matter where you go to school, possibly with the exception of the top 5 schools.

With all this said, where do you think you will enjoy yourself and therefore feel motivated enough to actually put in your 100%?

What do you mean by most prolific public health school? Does it get around?

 

[sfgboy]

What do you mean by most prolific public health school? Does it get around?

hahaha... good point. i meant prolific in terms of manuscript/publication output and impact factor of the journals which the faculty are most frequently published in.

 

[Trekkie963]

I have know lots of people who have gone to UTHSCSA, and they all absolutely love it. If the school's curriculum and atmosphere appealed to you, then I say go for it--you will not regret your decision.

San Antonio is an absolute steal as far as medical school costs, even for out-of-staters. As others have pointed out, it does have an alliance with the UT-Houston school of public health that could help you get the two degrees you are interested in just as easily as Tulane would.

 

[jlee9531]

san antonio...cause i know cool people going there...😉

but if you have something against living in texas...then maybe tulane is the place to be. but i hear the riverwalk at SA is always a nice place to be...

 

[keekee]

animeita- I'm in the incoming class at UTHSCSA, and am planning on doing something similar to you. I want to get my MPH as well and go into Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease. UT's Public Health School is very awesome for that indeed.

I have to agree with what everyone else is saying. The bottom line is that you have to go where you are happy. You can go to a "better" school, but if you're not too keen on the quality of life there it kind of cancels out all the benefits of going to a top tier school because you end up not giving your all in the end.

I went to a top 25 school for undergrad, and got a lot of pressure from people to go to a top tier med school, but in the end decided on UTHSCSA because of the cheapness of being a Texas resident, yes. But really mainly because people just seemed happier there, and I felt I could click there better than I did with my undergrad school, and therefore get more out of my education. I've learned I always do better and learn better when I like my surroundings and the people in it.

Just remember that no matter what program you decide on, regardless of the caliber of that program, ultimately it's up to you to make the most out of it. You just gotta figure out what you need and what's most important to you in order to see that happen.

 

[roja]

Graduated from UTHSCSA. Most people I know matched to thier first choice (self included). There isn't a single thing I regret about the school. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest schools in the country. and san antonio is a great city to live in. I intend to come back and teach in several years, after my fellowship....

 

[peptidoglycan]

You might want to check out what's going on on this thread on the allo board. Seems like the opinions are a little different...

 

[dookbloo]

which one did you pick?

 

[lilstina]

she picked UTHSCSA... good choice 😉 🙂

 

[Samoa]

Now, let's not start a fight.

 

[lilstina]

hehe, Tulane would have been a great choice as well, no offense meant...

just some minor bias for my chosen school 😉